Susan E.Kessler (Suz)

Associate

Pittsburgh + 1.412.394.7234

Susan Kessler represents clients in a broad range of industries and areas of the law, including structured finance litigation and other corporate matters. She has extensive experience in crafting, developing, and executing complex case strategy from discovery to dispositive motions to trial and appeal.

Most recently, Susan served as lead counsel in a multiweek AAA arbitration, successfully obtaining a multimillion dollar award in connection with a commission dispute in an M&A transaction. She was also recently part of a team that obtained an arbitration award in favor of a founding owner of a professional sports franchise in a multibillion dollar valuation dispute. She has also represented clients in numerous Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitrations. Susan has extensive experience representing financial institutions in high-stakes litigation involving residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), and other asset-backed securities. She regularly advises corporate trust departments regarding various issues that affect securitizations, including legal and regulatory risks associated with the cessation of LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate) and the Eleventh District Cost of Funds Index (COFI).

Susan serves as secretary on the board of the River City Brass Band and is also on the board of Bunker Projects, a nonprofit artist residency and experimental gallery located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Experiência

  • IBM defends software services agreement lawsuit brought by Pennsylvania Dep’t of Labor & IndustryIn a lawsuit brought by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, Jones Day is defending International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) against breach-of-contract and other claims premised on allegations that IBM failed to deliver a computer system that would aid the administration of both the tax assessment and benefit payment sides of Pennsylvania's unemployment compensation system.
  • Wells Fargo resolves derivative and putative class action claims alleging wrongdoing with respect to 272 residential mortgage-backed securities trustsJones Day successfully resolved three putative class actions filed by institutional investors in 272 residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) trusts.
  • Founding owner of professional sports team successfully represented in multibillion dollar ownership valuation disputeJones Day successfully represented a founding owner of professional sports team in a multibillion dollar ownership valuation dispute, recovering 100% of the claim at issue.
  • Wells Fargo defends third party breach of contract lawsuit relating to RMBS trustJones Day is representing Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. in a third-party complaint filed by a bank, which is the mortgage loan seller of an RMBS trust.
  • Wells Fargo defends against complaint filed by Nomura Credit & Capital Inc. alleging representations and warranties breachJones Day is representing Wells Fargo, National Association in a third-party complaint filed by Nomura Credit & Capital, Inc., the mortgage loan seller of six RMBS trusts.